GUASTALLA  , a

town and episcopal see of Emilia, Italy, in the province of Reggio, from which it is 18 m . N. by road, on the S. bank of the Po, 79 ft. above sea-level . It is also connected by rail with Parma and Mantua (via Suzzara) . Pop . (1901), 2658 (town); 11,091 (commune) . It has 16th-century fortifications . The cathedral, dating from the loth century, has been frequently restored . Guastalla was founded by the Lombards in the 7th century; in the church of the Pieve Pope Paschal II. held a council in IIo6 . In 1307 it was seized by Giberto da Correggio of Parma . In 1403 it passed to Guido Torello, cousin of Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan . In 1539 it was sold by the last female descendant of the Torelli to Ferrante Gonzaga . In 1621 it was made the seat of a duchy, but in 1748 it was added to those of Parma and Piacenza, whose history it subsequently followed .